The general cleaning industry currently sells both dry and wet cleaning products. Wet products are essentially the simple combinations of dry substrates and liquid cleaners (e.g. liquid cleaners and impregnated wet wipes).
Marketing dry and saturated wet products separately worked well in the past when both the cleaning industry as well as the general public paid little or no attention to the potential harms to surfaces/environment/human body from using excess liquid formulations with harsh chemicals. With a rapidly-changing cleaning landscape and an emerging green cleaning trend, continuing to stay on only dry and wet products will face different limitations for addressing these new cleaning challenges. This is particularly true for household cleaning when parents are generally very concerned about the contact between children and harsh chemicals in wet products.
In another fast-growing cleaning segment involving the surface cleaning of various electronic devices or gadgets such as smart phones, tablets, personal music players, televisions, laptops, monitors, etc., it is highly recommended that any liquid cleaners or saturated wet wipes or even tap water be avoided. The limited-liquid requirements, coupled with the demand for wipes free of harsh chemicals, highlight the need to look for technology solutions beyond current liquid-based chemical cleaners and saturated wet wipes. In other words, a cleaning paradigm in which dry and wet benefits are delivered in a single product execution is desired.
Dishrags, sponges, and other durables are used routinely by consumers to wipe down kitchen surfaces and keep surfaces free from germs. However, because these items are frequently stored in a damp condition, they often harbor a large number of germs that can proliferate and thereafter be transferred to surfaces during wiping. As a consequence, their repeated use can in fact be counterproductive in terms of eliminating germs.
Another common approach to clean surfaces of germs is to spray a cleaning solution onto the surface and then wipe the surface with a paper or cloth towel. Yet another approach is to use commonly available moist disinfecting or cleaning wipes. The use of spray cleaners or moist disinfecting wipes adds a level of complexity and inconvenience to the cleaning process. Cleaning fluids and disinfecting wipes are relatively high in cost compared to paper towels. Both cleaning fluids and moist disinfecting wipes typically contain chemicals that are toxic or not meant for skin contact. Due to the toxic nature of the ingredients, cleaning fluids and moist wipes are usually stored away from the countertop and thus not always conveniently located for quick use. The need to locate the product away from the point of use can reduce the frequency of use of the germ control product and thus reduce the effectiveness of the protection sought by the consumer.
Therefore there is a need for an inexpensive and effective germ-removing wiping product that is handy for consumers to use.